What's Next for Marvel?

For Marvel Comics the next few chilly months will be heated up by eight hot new additions to the Marvel Universe.

Some of the first titles launching with the Marvel Next moniker will include YOUNG AVENGERS, X-23, ARANA, LIVEWIRES, RUNAWAYS, and SPELLBINDERS.

Marvel Next will be zeroing in on the heroes of the next generation. Not a new line or imprint, Marvel Next is a collection of titles that will spotlight young characters in fresh and exciting ways. "We recognized that the ideas that make up these characters are really wonderful," says Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada. "We wanted to give them a unique and powerful focus, showing everyone that these
characters and their stories are all about today's youth and, of course, the future. This is a new breed of heroes."

Marvel Publisher Dan Buckley is adamant in pointing out that with Marvel Next, fans will still find themselves in the good ol' Marvel Universe. "Its not a separate universe," he said. "Marvel Next is a way for us to promote these teen focused stories to their core readership. When you see the Next tag, you'll know you're getting some solid teenage hero adventures."

The series that may well be considered the flagship Marvel Next book, as well as garnering a great deal of interest since it was announced, is YOUNG AVENGERS. "We believe the Young Avengers characters could each carry a book by themselves. They're that cool!" Quesada remarks. "I think YOUNG AVENGERS is up for a long and heavy-hitting ride." The book rises like a phoenix out of the ashes of AVENGERS:DISASSEMBLED and is populated by what seems to be teen versions of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, namely Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, and the Hulk. YOUNG AVENGERS writer Allan Heinberg is quick to point out that looks may be deceiving and invites readers to come aboard and be formally introduced to these new heroes. YOUNG AVENGERS is penciled by Jim Cheung and debuts in February.

Besides YOUNG AVENGERS, February also brings us the return of RUNAWAYS (by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona) and the debut of LIVEWIRES (by Adam Warren and Rick Mays). The success of RUNAWAYS told us that this type of storytelling works and was the inspiration for MARVEL NEXT. In this all-new beginning for the popular teens heroes who claim a gaggle of super-villains as their parents, The Runaways are still on the run and their adventures are as unpredictable as they are thrilling. Marvel is proud to include RUNAWAYS under the Marvel Next tag as it is a sterling example of the youth characters we're proud to spotlight. LIVEWIRES #1 introduces us to "nanobuilt humanform combat mecha" who just happen to look like teenagers! These robo-youths are programmed by a shadowy , quasi-governmental group to seek out others of their kind... and destroy them.

January brings us X-23 (by Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost, and Billy Tan) and ARANA: HEART OF THE SPIDER (by Fiona Avery and Roger Cruz). X-23 features a young girl who has the unique distinction of being a clone of the X-Men's Wolverine! Created to be the ultimate weapon, X-23 is sent out into the world on dangerous and sometimes impossible missions. ARANA is likewise the story of a young girl, one who seems to emulate a certain web-headed wallcrawler. Arana gets herself in some pretty tight spots for her age, but her incredible powers and spunky attitude always pull her through.

In March readers will be spellbound by SPELLBINDERS (by Mike Carey and Mike Perkins). The new series puts you right in the middle of a struggle between warring cliques of witches in a Salem, MA high school! Our young heroine finds herself wanted by both sides and dangerous magic is the tool of persuasion.

Looking a bit ahead, April will unveil a new issue of AMAZING FANTASY featuring the Scorpion, the character who took Marvel.Com by storm receiving the most votes in an online poll to determine the next star of Amazing Fantasy.

For sneak peeks, updates, and all the news of Marvel Next and the entire Marvel Universe of titles, please visit Marvel.com, True Believers!